5 residential fires kept firefighters busy overnight

Firefighters were kept busy Sunday night and Monday morning with five residential fires in less than 12 hours, in addition to a brush fire in Carp.

The first broke out just after 6 p.m. Sunday in a rowhouse at 3924 Old Richmond Rd.

The fire department said the blaze started on a rear deck and was quickly spreading to the home's exterior wall. Firefighters managed to stop it from spreading and damage was estimated at about $5,000.

No one was hurt and the cause is under investigation.

Just under half an hour later, a man at 203 Rochester St. fell asleep while cooking and an ensuing fire destroyed the kitchen.

When firefighters arrived the man was standing on a balcony and had to be rescued. He was able to walk but appeared to have suffered from smoke inhalation. Paramedics took him to hospital.

Damage was estimated at about $100,000.

At about 1:40 a.m. Monday, a fire broke out inside the furnace room at 101 Champagne Ave. S, the Ottawa Humane Society's former building.

Firefighters said they had to break in to the room, where a pile of books, magazines and newspapers were burning on the floor by the door.

At 3:30 a.m., another fire broke out on the balcony of an apartment at 415 MacLaren St. The fire department said debris on the balcony had caught fire.

And finally, at 4:15 a.m., a flower box caught on fire because of a discarded cigarette on a balcony at 589 Rideau St.

The fire extended to the deck and the railing of the second-floor apartment balcony. Damage was estimated at about $20,000.